Richard II
Closing: May 10, 2025Richard II - 2025 West End History , Info & More
Bridge Theatre
One Tower Bridge London SE1 2SD
Richard II is charismatic, eloquent and loved by his friends. And a disastrous King – dishonest, capricious and politically incompetent.
Echoing down the centuries is the perennial problem: how to deal with a ruler who has a rock solid right to rule but is set on wrecking the country he leads.
Shakespeare’s subtle, ambiguous and beautiful play finds feudal England on the cusp of modernity, as a divinely sanctioned monarch is confronted, in the figure of Henry Bolingbroke, by the hard-headed pragmatism of real authority.
Richard II is played by Jonathan Bailey, whose past work includes Bridgerton, Fellow Travellers, Cassio in Nicholas Hytner’s National Theatre production of Othello and Edgar to Ian McKellen’s King Lear. He has also won an Olivier Award for his role of Jamie in Company and is Fiyero in the up and coming Wicked movie.
__Assisted performances__
Audio-Described Performance: Saturday 12th April, 14:30
Captioned Performance: Friday 2nd May, 19:30
Richard II - 2025 - West End Cast
FEATURED REVIEWS FOR Richard II
Jonathan Bailey exudes charisma as a cocaine-snorting king of misrule
6 / 10
A play with abundant beauty to its verse (“This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England,” sighs the ailing Gaunt, played efficiently by Martin Carroll), its lyricism becomes slightly muted, though never by Bailey, whose words glitter with feeling. Royce Pierreson’s Bullingbrook is a man of action but you do not get beneath his skin. Phoenix Di Sebastiani, as the allegedly traitorous Mowbray, is spirited, while Christopher Osikanlu Colquhoun as the Earl of Northumberland bears gravitas.
Thoughtful production with transfixing lead
6 / 10
Flinging out bitchy aperçus and florid pronouncements, and passing life-changing edicts on a whim, Bailey’s is a Richard who is instantly guaranteed to make enemies. His boredom with the actual business of affairs of state is flagrant, and we see him lounging, snorting cocaine and enjoying some homoerotic flirtation with his hangers-on, or kicking the walking frame out from under a frail John of Gaunt (on press night, Martin Carroll standing in for an indisposed Clive Wood). Besotted with his own celebrity, he heedlessly courts laughs by flinging out cruel jokes and, on hearing of violent rebellion erupting in Ireland, is most immediately preoccupied by the attention-grabbing opportunity he thinks it offers to play the conquering hero.
by Stephi Wild - April 17, 2025
London Theatre Company has released behind the scenes photography from Richard II, starring Jonathan Bailey and directed by Nicholas Hytner. Check out the photos here!
by Stephi Wild - April 11, 2025
London Theatre Company has released an all new trailer for Richard II, starring Jonathan Bailey and directed by Nicholas Hytner. Check out the video and learn more about the show here!
by Stephi Wild - March 27, 2025
London Theatre Company has released more production photos of Richard II, starring Jonathan Bailey and directed by Nicholas Hytner, now playing at the Bridge Theatre until 10 May 2025. Check out the photos here!
by Michael Major - March 10, 2025
Watch Jonathan Bailey (Wicked, Bridgerton, Company) in the curtain call for Richard II, directed by Nicholas Hytner. Watch the new video from the Bridge Theatre now!
by Aliya Al-Hassan - February 19, 2025
Richard II is played by Jonathan Bailey, whose past work includes Bridgerton, Fellow Travellers, Cassio in Nicholas Hytner’s National Theatre production of Othello and Edgar to Ian McKellen’s King Lear. He has also won an Olivier Award for his role of Jamie in Company and is Fiyero in the Wicked movie. What did the critics think of the show?
by Cindy Marcolina - February 18, 2025
A nation in need, an unsuitable king, banishments, murders, attempted coups. Richard II has it all and so does Jonathan Bailey. He might be dancing through Hollywood and hanging out with the biggest celebs, but he proves that he’s still one of us with this triumphant return to the stage.
by Stephi Wild - February 14, 2025
London Theatre Company has released photos of Richard II. Starring Jonathan Bailey and directed by Nicholas Hytner, this fresh take on Shakespeare’s subtle, caustic and powerful play is currently playing the Bridge Theatre until 10 May 2025.
by Stephi Wild - January 14, 2025
London Theatre Company has released new photos from the Richard II rehearsal room, starring Jonathan Bailey of Wicked, Bridgerton and Company fame and directed by Nicholas Hytner. Check out the new photos here!
by Stephi Wild - January 7, 2025
All new photos and video footage have been released of Jonathan Bailey and the company of Richard II on their first day of rehearsals. Learn more about the new West End production of Richard II here!
Richard II History
Other Productions of Richard II
| 2025 | West End |
West End |
| 2025 | Off-Broadway |
Off-Broadway |
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